Author Archives: basiltsiokos

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About basiltsiokos

Basil Tsiokos is a Senior Programmer for the Sundance Film Festival, focusing on nonfiction features. He was most recently with DOC NYC for nearly a decade, where he served as Director of Programming since 2014, and with the Nantucket Film Festival as its Film Program Director. Prior to those positions, Basil was the longtime Artistic and Executive Director of NewFest. He has been affiliated with Sundance since 2005 as a Programming Associate. Basil serves on the feature nominating committees for the International Documentary Association Awards and Cinema Eye Honors. He has written about documentaries daily since 2010 on what (not) to doc. Basil holds a Masters degree from New York University and two undergraduate degrees from Stanford University.

On VOD: BITTERBRUSH

Coming to VOD tomorrow, Friday, June 24:
BITTERBRUSH

Director:
Emelie Mahdavian

World Premiere:
Telluride 2021

Select Festivals:
Visions du Réel, San Francisco, Sydney

About:
Two women set up camp at a tiny cabin and begin their season of work, to feed their dreams: to own their own livestock, to have true independence, and to start a family. 

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In Theatres/Virtual Release: THE HUMAN TRIAL

Coming to theatres and virtual cinemas tomorrow, Friday, June 24:
THE HUMAN TRIAL

Director:
Lisa Hepner, Guy Mossman

World Premiere:
Theatrical release (June 2022)

About:
An intimate, unprecedented profile of the patients and scientists participating in a groundbreaking clinical trial to seek a cure for diabetes.

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Streaming: PORTRAIT OF JASON

Coming to OVID tomorrow, Friday, June 24:
PORTRAIT OF JASON

Director:
Shirley Clarke

World Premiere:
New York Film Festival 1967

About:
In this seminal exploration of Black gay male identity, a hustler and aspiring performer relates his life to the camera.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

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Streaming: FIFI HOWLS FROM HAPPINESS

Coming to OVID this Friday, June 24:
FIFI HOWLS FROM HAPPINESS

Director:
Mitra Farahani

World Premiere:
Berlin 2013

Select Festivals:
New York, Telluride, BAFICI, Cinema du Reel, Warsaw, Seattle

About:
The filmmaker tracks down a long-forgotten, censored pre-Revolution Iranian artist.

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Sheffield Doc/Fest 2022 Overview

Festival:
The 29th Sheffield Doc/Fest

Dates:
June 23-28

About:
Just under 90 new and recent features make up the lineup of this British nonfiction event.

Continue reading

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Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations

Streaming: A BIT OF SCARLET

Coming to OVID this Friday, June 24:
A BIT OF SCARLET

Director:
Andrea Weiss

World Premiere:
Edinburgh 1996

Select Festivals:
Berlin, NewFest, Outfest, Melbourne, Brisbane

About:
An exploration of the pervasive presence of queers on the British screen through a series of telling clips from diverse periods of UK film history.

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Streaming: MENUDO: FOREVER YOUNG

Coming to HBO Max tomorrow, Thursday, June 23:
MENUDO: FOREVER YOUNG

Director:
Ángel Manuel Soto, Kristofer Ríos

World Premiere:
Tribeca 2022

About:
A docuseries chronicling the rise and fall of the most iconic Latin American boy band in history, bringing viewers into the world of the popular teen idols’ global tours, magazine covers, ‘80s outfits, and screaming fangirls – as well as a web of abuse and exploitation at the hands of the band’s manager, Edgardo Diaz.

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On TV & Streaming: CHERNOBYL: THE LOST TAPES

Coming to HBO and HBO Max tomorrow, Wednesday, June 22:
CHERNOBYL: THE LOST TAPES

Director:
James Jones

World Premiere:
British TV broadcast (February 2022)

Select Festivals:
Full Frame

About:
The story of Chernobyl, told entirely through a newly discovered hoard of dramatic footage filmed at the nuclear plant during the disaster and new, deeply personal audio interviews with those who were there.

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On VOD: THE STORY WON’T DIE

Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, June 21:
THE STORY WON’T DIE

Director:
David Henry Gerson

World Premiere:
Hot Docs 2021

Select Festivals:
AFI Docs, Watch Docs, Poland’s American Fest, Woods Hole

About:
A portrait of a young generation of Syrian artists who use their work to process their ongoing trauma and to express themselves as they never could under the repressive regime that forced them into exile.

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On DVD: THE BEATLES AND INDIA

Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, June 21:
THE BEATLES AND INDIA

Director:
Ajoy Bose, Peter Compton

World Premiere:
UK Asian Film Festival 2021

Select Festivals:
Thessaloniki Doc, Valladolid, Gent

About:
A unique historical chronicle of the enduring love affair between The Beatles and India, which started more than half a century ago.

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